Interlocking drawer housing



P 1951 E. c. HAKE 2,569,236

INTERLOCKING DRAWER HOUSING Filed Aug. 10, 1949 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 R70 4*F? f IN VEN TOR. E L MEI? C. HA KE Patented Sept. 25, 1951 INTERLOCKINGDRAWER nousme Elmer C. Hake, Morrow, Ohio, assignor to Snapn DrawerCompany, Morrow, Ohio, a coma-- ration of Ohio Application August 10,1949, Serial No. 109,592

9 Claims.

This invention relates to drawer shells or housings provided with meanswhereby when a plurality of such housings are stacked in either verticalor horizontal rows the housings may be securely interlocked one withanother, and when a plurality of parallel vertical stacks of suchhousings are mounted in side by side relation ship, the abutting topsand bottoms of the drawer housings in each stack and the abutting sidewalls of the drawer housings in the several adjacent vertical stacks maybe interlocked to provide a rigid and firmly connected assembly ofdrawer housings.

An object of this invention is to provide a drawer shell or housingwhich is so provided with means whereby a drawer shell of similarconstruction may detachably be secured to each of the top, the sidewalls and the bottom thereof, and so constructed that the attachingmeans will not interfere with free sliding movement of a drawer into orout of the housing.

A further object of the invention is to provide a drawer shell orhousing that shall constitute an improvement over the drawer shell orhousing disclosed in my copending application Serial No. 641,429, filedJanuary 16, 1946, now Patent 2,482,174, in that its construction is suchas to make it more rugged, and better suited for heavy duty, and adaptedfor manufacture in larger SIZES.

These and other objects of the invention will be apparent to thoseskilled in this art from the following description taken in conjunctionwith the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figures 1 and 2 are top and bottom plan views, respectively, of a drawershell or housing arranged and constructed in accordance with anembodiment of the invention;

Figs. 3 and 4 are views in elevation of the opposite sides of the drawerhousing;

Figs. 5, 6 and '7 are views in section taken on lines VV, VIVI, andVII-VII of Figs. 1 and 2, respectively;

Fig. 8 is a plan view of a blank from which the end bands for the drawerhousing are made and in which are formed interlocking apertures andresilient protuberances;

Fig. 9 is a view in elevation of the rear end of the drawer housing; and

Fig. 10 is a front view in elevation of a plurality of stacks ofdrawers, the drawers in the vertical and horizontal rows beinginterlocked one with another, portions of the assembly be- Throughoutthe drawings and the specification like reference characters indicatelike parts.

In the drawings, a drawer housing I is shown having a hollow rectangularspace into and out of which a drawer 2 may be slid. The housing has atop wall 3, side walls 4 and 5, and a bottom 6 on which the drawer isslidably supported.

The rear end of housing I is provided with a rear stop for the drawerand this stop may comprise an end wall or a flange l projecting upwardlyfrom bottom 6. The top is provided with a downwardly projecting stop 8at the front of the housing to engage an upwardly project-' ing lug onthe top of the rear end of the drawer which co-acts to stop the drawerwhen it is pulled open. Stop 8, as shown in Fig. 6, is formed bypartially severing a tab from the top wall and pushing downwardly asindicated.

The top, sides and bottom of the drawer are provided with invertedchannels II], II, l2 and I3 adjacent the rear end thereof. Thesechannels are secured on the outside of the housing to the respectivetop, sides and bottom. As shown by the section view in Fig. 7, thechannels are provided with flanges l4 and [5 that extend outwardly atright angles to the sides of the channels and through flanges I5 rivetsor other securing means are passed to fasten the channels to the drawerhousing. When the channels are mounted as shown, the webs [6 thereof arespaced outwardly from the drawer housing.

As may be seen by inspection of the drawings, the channels at the rearof the drawer housing are.located substantially in a plane extendingtransversely of and parallel to the rear end of the drawer housing. Insome of the aforementioned channels apertures ll andin others resilientprotuberances [8 are formed. Thus, I may form apertures 11 in channels Hand 12 extending vertically of side wall 4 and transversely of bottom 6,respectively, and resilient protuberances [8 in channels I0 and I3,extending transversely and vertically, respectively, of the top wall 3and side wall 5.

As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the apertures are circular. As illustrated inFig. '7, the edges of the apertures are curled or peened outwardly as at[9 to provide rims for the apertures which are free of burrs or sharpedges.

The protuberances in the webs of channel It to l3 are similar and eachcomprises a plurality of lugs 20 preferably uniformly spaced in acircle. Lugs 20 are punched from the web and. pushed ing in section toshow the interlocking features. a outwardly and upwardly at an angletherefrom.

The ends of the lugs are bent at right angles inwardly towards thecenter of the protuberance. Thus, each protuberance has a neck 2| at thebottom thereof and a head 22. The outside diameter of each neck is madesmaller than the diameter of an aperture I1 and the outside diameter ofeach head' 22 is made slightly larger than the diameter of an aperturel'i. Thus, by placing a protuberance of one drawer housing over anaperture ll of another housing and squeezing the two towards each otherthe headof the protuberance will snap through the aperture and th'eparts will be interlocked at the neck and rim of the protuberance andaperture.

The forward end of the drawer housing is provided with a similar set ofinverted channels having apertures and protuberancesinthe same rela tivelocations as indicated by corresponding reference characters.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 3, the protuberances and the apertures intransverse channels are pref erably located adjacent thercorners of thetop and bottom of the drawer housing and in substantially thesamelocation, that is the protuberance in onecorner at the top isdirectly above the aperture in the corresponding. corner in the bottomof the housing.

The drawer housing; may be made of any suitable material andv equippedwith channels as above described. Howevenas shown, the drawer housingmay be madeofsheet metal with the top wall, side walls and bottom formedas a unitary structure. Asshownin Fig. 2, the bottom is not fullyclosed, being formed by. flanges 23 and 25 that extend laterally inwardfrom the side walls 3 and 4 only partway across the bottom thus leavinga space 25 therebetween.

The channels I0, l l, l2 and l3 are preferably madefrom a single stripofmetal as indicated in Fig. 8. This strip is notched on opposite sidesas indicated at 25 to;29 inclusive, these notches being located atthebendslor breaks corresponding to the corners of the drawer housing. Thestrip is formed with the channel in the middle portion, the-width ofthe-web being equal to the space between; the innerdotted lines and thethickness of the respective. sides of, the channel being approximately,the distance between adjacent dotted lines-. When the strip has beennotched andformed it is then bent around the opposite ends of the drawerhousing. Strip 26a extends about midway across the top ,wall 3'; strip21a extends vertically alongsidewal1'5; strip 28a extends across bottom6; strip 29a extends vertically alongside wall A and strip 26d extendsacross top wall 3,, to the middle thereof or to a point adjacent the endof strip 2611. When the channel has been formed, bent and applied to thehousing as just described, the channel is'secured to the top wall bymeans of rivetsilfl extending through flanges land the top and sidewalls and the bottom flanges 23 "and 241 The outer flange is secured inplace bya return bent flange 31 at the rear end of the top wall 3 asshown in Fig. '7. Similarly, flange M of the channels on the side walls3 and 5 are secured by inturned flanges 32 and 33 at the rear endsof'the respective side walls and the outer flange of the channelextending across thebottom is secured by inturned flanges 34 and 35respectively formed at the ends of flanges 23 and 24. The outer flangesof. the channels at the front end ofthe housing are secured in a similarmanner as indicated by similar'reference characters. Thus, thecontinuous channels at the opposite ends of 4 the drawer housing arefirmly secured to the ends of the drawer shell.

By reason of the channel and flange shape of the bands encircling theopposite ends of the drawer housing, strength and rigidity are given tothe drawer shell thereby making it strong and rugged and suitable forheavy duty use such as for the storage of smallscrews, machine parts orother parts which are used in radio manufacturing establishments andmachine shops, store rooms or other establishments.

As shown in Figs. 8 and 9, the rear drawer stop is constructed from anangle member 31. This angle extends across space 25 with the oppositeends thereof abutting the edges of flanges 23 and 24. One leg of angleEl lies against the web of channel I? andis secured by rivets 38 to theweb thereof. Flange 39 of member 31 extends upwardly from bottom G andserves as the drawer stop. I

In Fig. 10 is shown, a plurality of drawer housings arranged in abuttingvertical stacks, the drawers in a stack being interlocked betweenabuttingtop and bottom walls and between abutting side Walls of adjacentstacks by the coacting apertures H" and protuberances IS. The drawershell or, housing embodying this invention is so arranged that anynumber of vertical stacks of drawers may be placed side by side ininterlocked relationship and that the number of drawers in any verticalstack may be made as great as the strength of the bottom drawer of astack is capable of supporting.

When a stack of drawers is assembled itis preferable that a. plate besecured tothe lowermost drawer in a sta'ckwhich plate may have securedto the. underside" thereof a pad 40 of resilient material such asrubber, felt or other composition to protect any surface'on which thedrawer housings may be stacked from'scratches.

In Fig. 10 the portions .of the assembly which are broken awayillustrate how a resilient protuberance l8 projects through a matchingaperture l1 and how the protuber'ances interlock with the rims of theapertures through which they extend.

WhileI have showna drawer housing or shell preferably constructedofmetal and so arranged that the bottom thereof is open, it should' beunderstood that the bottom may be closed if it is so desired and alsothat the drawer housing may be-constructed of material other than metal.The interlocking features incorporated in the channelwhich embrace thedrawer shells may be applied to drawer housings made of materials otherthan metal and serve not only their interlocking purposes but givestrength and rigidity thereto as well.- The drawer housings or shellsshown in the drawing ma bemade of thin gauge metal by reason of thereinforcing and strengthening; feature of the embracing channels.

Since the protuberances l8 extend through the channel webs into theinteriorthereof'and' since these channels areclo-sed'by the top'; sideand bottomwalls of'the'hou'sin'g' it is apparent'th'at theprotuberance's'will' not project into the drawer housing to interferein" any way with' the free slidingmovementof thedrawer' into or out" ofthe housing. Thus; as is indicated in Fig. 10, the drawers will besupported on the bottom flanges 23 and 24 and be freely slidable thereonwithout-hindrance or interference'from' the resil ient interlockingprotuberances I 8.

While; I l have ,shown thechannels 1 which embrace the ends of thedrawer housing or shell as being 'providedwith a pair of protuberancesand apertures I8 and Il respectively on each wall of the housing, thatis, top, side, and bottom, it is apparent that if duty requirements arenot too severe I may employ only one protuberance and one aperture ateach end of the drawer housing or shell. It will also be apparent thatwhere duty requirements are not too severe I may employ one encirclingband of channel-shape which band embraces the housing at a point midwaybetween the ends thereof and provided with the apertures andprotuberances whereby a stack of drawers may be interlocked one withanother or a plurality of stacks may be interlocked together in ahorizontal direction as well as in a vertical direction.

Having thus described the invention it will be apparent to those skilledin this particular art that various changes and modifications may bemade in the illustrated embodiment without departing from either thespirit or the scope of the invention.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is; r

1. A housing for accommodating a sliding drawer therein, said housinghaving top and side walls and a bottom serving as a runner for suchdrawer, said housing having a channel secured to and extendingtransversely of said top wall and bottom and vertically along said sidewalls, the webs of said channels being disposed outwardly from and inspaced relation to said housing walls and bottom, the center lines ofsaid channels being in a substantially common vertical plane extendingtransversely through said housing, one of the webs of the channelsextending across the top wall and bottom being provided with an apertureand the other being provided with a resilient protuberance disposed insubstantially the same location as the said aperture in the oppositechannel, the web of one of said vertically disposed channels beingprovided with an aperture and the web of the other vertically disposedchannel being provided with a resilient protuberance disposed insubstantially the same location as the aperture in the opposite channel,the apertures in said channel webs being disposed to receive theresilient protuberances of similar drawer housings mounted against thewalls containing said apertures and the protuberances in said channelwebs being disposed to be received in the apertures of the webs ofsimilar drawer housings mounted against the walls of said housingcontaining said protuberances, whereby abutting tops and bottoms ofhousings arranged in a plurality of vertical stacks of drawer housingsand the abutting side walls of housings in adjacent vertical stacks maybe interlocked, respectively, one with another.

2. A housing according to claim 1 characterized by the fact that thechannel extending across the top wall and bottom and vertically of theside walls comprises a band of channel shape in section which encirclesthe drawer housing, the opposite ends of which meet at a plane passingthrough the longitudinal center lines of the top wall and bottom of saidhousing.

3. A housing according to claim 1 characterized by the fact that thehousing is of sheet metal and that the bottom thereof comprises flangesextending inwardly from the bottom edges of the side walls towards thecenter line of said bottom, and that the channel extending transverselyof said bottom is secured to each of said flanges.

4. A'drawer housing according to claim 1 characterized by the fact thata channel extends transversely of the top wall and bottom adjacent thefront and rear ends of the housing and that a channel extends verticallyof each side wall of the housing adjacent the front and rear ends ofsaid housing, the channels on the opposite sides at the front and rearbeing in alignment with one another, and that one pair of transversechannels associated with said top wall and bottom is provided withapertures and the other pair of transverse channels is provided withresilient protuberances, and the pair of channels on one side wall isprovided with resilient protuberances and the pair on the other sidewallis provided with apertures opposite the protuberances on theopposite side wall channels.

5. A housing according to claim 1 characterized by the fact that a bandof channel shape in section is disposed adjacent each end of the housingand encircles the same to provide a pair of channels extendingtransversely of the top wall, bottom and a pair of vertical channels oneach side wall, one pair of said transverse channels being provided withapertures and the other pair being provided with resilient protuberancesin substantially the. same location as the apertures, and that eachchannel of a pair of channels on one side wall is provided with anaperture and that each channel of a pair of channels on the oppositeside wall is provided with a protuberance located opposite therespective apertures in the channels on the opposite side wall.

6. A housing according to claim 1 characterized by the fact that a bandof channel shape in section is disposed adjacent each end of the housingand encircles the same to provide a pair of channels extendingtransversely of the top wall, bottom and a pair of vertical channels oneach side wall, one pair of said transverse channels being provided withapertures and the other pair being provided with resilient protuberancesin substantially the same location as the apertures, and that eachchannel of a pair of channels on one side wall is provided with a pairof apertures, one being adjacent the top wall and the other adjacent thebottom wall, and that the channels on the opposite side wall areprovided with resilient protuberances located opposite the apertures inthe opposite side wall channels.

7. A housing according to claim 1 characterized by the fact that a bandof channel shape in section is disposed adjacent each end of the housingand encircles the same to provide a pair of channels extendingtransversely of the top wall, bottom and a pair of vertical channels oneach side wall, each channel of a pair of channels transverse to one ofsaid top wall and bottom being provided with an aperture adjacent eachside wall and the other pair of said transverse channels being providedwith resilient protuberance adjacent each side wall in verticalalignment with the apertures in the other pair of transverse channels,and that each channel of a pair of channels on one side wall is providedwith an aperture and that each channel of a pair of channels on theopposite side wall is provided with a protuberance located opposite therespective apertures in the channels on the opposite side wall.

8. A housing for accommodating a sliding (5 drawer therein, said housingbeing four-sided,

opposite sides thereof being s iustafiuaiiy parall'el', -p'air's ofspaced nivrtea bhan' riels extending transversei' of and secured tooptisite sides of said housing, the channels or one'pair being oppositethe channels "of the other pair, each web of the pair of channels on oneor said si'de's being provided with at least one aperture and each Webof the pair or ehan'nms 6n the opposite side being provided with atleast one resilient protuberance disposed in the same relative locationas the aperture in the opposite pair of channels, each protuberancebeing so constructed as to snap through and be engaged by an aperturecorresponding in size to the apertures in "said channel webs, wherebyone such housing may be secured to another similar housing by snappingthe protuberanc'es 'on one side of one housing through the apertures inthe webs on a corresponding but opposite side of *said similar housing.

. 9. A housing. 'for accommodating a sliding drawer therein, saidhousing being four-sided, opposite sides thereof beingsubstantiallyparallel, pairs of spaced webs extending transversely of and securedtoopposite sides 'ofsaid housing, each of said webs also being spacedfrom the housing sides to which it is secured, the webs son said s'idesbeing opposite each other, each web of one pair being provided with atleast one aperture and each web of the opposite pair being provided withat least one resilient protuberance occupying substantially the samerelative location as the apertures in the opposite pair of webs, eachprotuberance being so constructed as to snap through and be engaged byan aperture correspending in size to the apertures in said webs, wherebyone such housing may be secured to another similar housing by snappingthe protuberances on one side of one housing through the aperture in thewebs-on a corresponding but op- Number Name Date 2,043,893 Hedges June9, 1936 2,121,190 Fellowes June 21-, 1938 2,227,884 1 CTyiner v Jan. 7,.1941 2,482,174

Hake- Sept. 20, 1949

